Best Blow Dryer Buying Guide
Looking for the best blow dryer on the market is not easy. Hopefully, this guide will help you find the right one for your specific needs.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a personal stylist create a fabulous hair style for you every single day? But unless you are the Duchess of Cambridge or Jennifer Aniston, you probably don’t have this kind of luxury. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t have gorgeous hair that looks like you just got out from a salon. When you have the right blow dryer for your hair, you can have perfect hair anytime.
This is why you should make it a personal mission to find the best blow dryer on the market. Keep in mind though that what may seem like the perfect choice for someone doesn’t mean it will do wonders for your hair. Everyone’s different and you should choose a styling tool that suits your specific hair type and needs. Hence the need to read blow dryer reviews before you buy one.
Shopping for a blow dryer can be a daunting endeavor. There are hundreds of different brands and thousands of products for you to choose from. It’s for this reason that we have created this guide – to help you find the right blow dryer for YOU.
In order to narrow down your choices, let’s consider only the top blow dryer brands available in the market today. These are:
- Revlon hair dryer
- Sedu hair dryer
- Babyliss hair dryer
- Rusk hair dryer
- Philips hair dryer
- T3 hair dryer
- Conair hair dryer
- Vidal Sassoon hair dryer
- CHI hair dryer
- Remington hair dryer
Features of the Best Blow Dryer
So to start, let’s talk about the features that your blow dryer should have.
1. Diffuser – If you have curly hair then you will want to use a blow dryer that comes with a diffuser to add more volume. In this category, you may want to take a look at the Conair Infiniti Tourmaline dryer or the Revlon 1875-Watt Stylist Turbo – these two are the best blow dryers with diffuser.
2. Comb attachment – Having a comb attached to your dryer can be very convenient because that would mean you will no longer need to use a separate comb to style your hair. Choose a dryer that comes with a comb that is able to smoothly glide through your hair, leaving it untangled and shiny all throughout. The Philips Salon Dry ‘n’ Straight has a comb that keeps your hair straight but if you are looking for the best hair dryer with brush attachment, you can check out the Philips HP 8651 hair styler.
3. Cord – A retractable cord can be a very convenient feature because it enables you to style your hair without worrying about whether the power cord can reach a particular area or not. It gives you more flexibility and room. It also makes storing your dryer easy. The Revlon Perfect Heat FOLD & GO dryer would be an excellent choice if you’re looking for the best hair dryer with retractable cord, as well as its Style-and-Store model.
4. Best blow dryer with thin nozzle – Generally, blow dryers are equipped with either non-nozzle or nozzle air flow system. Based on customer reviews, the Conair Ionic Shine Ceramic Speed Styler which comes with a classic style nozzle is the most popular in this category. The Rusk 45mm on the other hand is a blow dryer with concentrator nozzle to ensure that you are able to focus on a specific part of your hair.
5. Best hair dryer with low emf – These days, more and more women are worried about EMF, or electro magnetic field. Some dryers have high EMF while others have very low levels of it. If you tend to use your dryer frequently then choosing one with low EMF is a must. The CHI Bling Lavender Mist is one good example. In fact, most CHI products have low EMF levels.
6. Quick drying – For busy women, having the quick drying feature is a must. After all, if you have family and work to worry about, who has 30 minutes to spend drying their hair? If this is the case, you may want to take a look at the HANA Air professional hair dryer which is a bit pricey (it costs over $200) but it does its job of drying your hair really quick. You can also check out the T3 Featherweight Professional Hair Dryer as well as BIO IONIC, which has been reported to work faster than regular dryers by at least 40%.
7. Dual voltage – For those who travel frequently, choosing a dryer with dual voltage would be necessary. You want to own the best hair dryer for European travel because they may have a different voltage requirement than what we have in the US. Choose the best travel dryer with dual voltage that also suits your type of hair. Take a look at the Revlon 1875 Watt Travel Hair Dryer or the Remington D2019 Turbo Dry. Another lightweight option which is perfect to bring with you on your trips is the Vidal Sassoon VS784 1875W Travel Dryer which weighs about 0.8 lb. only.
How to Find the Best Blow Dryer for Your Hair Type
Now that we have discussed the essential features of a blow dryer, it’s time that we delve into the topic of hair type. Naturally, you want a dryer that is suitable for your hair and won’t damage it. Whether you have curly hair, coarse hair, frizzy hair, fine hair, straight hair or are using hair extensions, it’s important that you pick a dryer that has been designed to work on your particular hair type.
Here are some of our recommendations for those looking for the best blow dryer that won’t damage hair:
- Best hair dryer for volume and shine – If your main objective for using a blow dryer is to add volume and shine to your hair, then you can’t go wrong with the Remington D3020 dryer. It’s cheap and comes with 3 heat settings. It also has a diffuser and concentrator to give you great results.
- Best blow dryers for natural hair – If your hair has never been chemically treated before then make sure you find a blow dryer that’s specifically designed for natural hair. You can check out CHI, Conair and Revlon dryers for this.
- Best hair dryer for coarse hair – Managing coarse hair is never easy and you would need to have a really good blow dryer if you want to tame yours. Try a professional hair dryer like the BabyblissPro Nano Titanium Portofino 6600 and 2800 Super Turbo, or the Sedu Revolution Pro Tourmaline Ionic 4000i.
- Best blow dryer for hair extensions – Normally, we would not recommend that you use a blow dryer for your hair extensions. But if you really need to, make sure to keep it to low or medium setting. Check out the Remington T|Studio Pearl Ceramic AC Dryer.
- Best hair dryer for curly hair – If you have curly hair, then you want the outcome to be bouncy, frizz-free, and well defined curls. You can achieve this with the help of the Conair Infiniti Nano Silver Hair Dryer.
- Best blow dryer for Dominican blowout – For those who desire to turn their curly hair into a Dominican blowout, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get the style you want from a salon. With a good hair dryer and 30 minutes of your time, you can come out looking like you just went to a salon. Try the Farouk Systems CHI Rocket, the Turbo Power MegaTurbo, Remington T Studio Silk Ceramic, or the T3 Tourmaline 83808 dryers.
- Best hair dryer for keratin treated hair – If you are looking for a blow dryer that is actually great for the hair, try the Remington Style Therapy dryer which is infused with Keratin in its nozzle. If you currently use keratin treatment on your hair, now you can supplement this regimen with the use of this Remington blow dryer for even better results.
- Best blow dryer for fine hair – Women with fine hair should use the low setting of hair dryers. Moreover, you may want to keep your choices to low wattage dryers. The same can be said if you are looking for something to use for short hair.
- Best hair dryer for straight hair – If you are gifted with straight hair then you don’t need a specialized blow dryer to keep your hair beautiful and smooth. Just make sure you look for one that has at least 1,800 watts and comes with several heat settings and a nozzle.
- Best blow dryer for fine curly hair – Check out the Vidal Sassoon Fast Dry Styler which comes with a Softtouch handle and nozzle.
Beautiful Hair with the Right Blow Dryer
A lot of women want to reduce frizz in their hair but they seem to have a hard time doing so unless they actually go to a salon and have a professional stylist eliminate frizz. The good news is, you don’t have to spend money every time you want to have a smooth, silky and tamed hair for any occasion. You can simply find one to prevent frizz such as the T3 Featherweight 2 which not only keep your hair moisturized and soft, but also ensures there is no frizz. Many women have dubbed this to be the best blow dryer to eliminate frizz.
If, on the other hand, if you have naturally curly hair and want to straighten it, then you would need a really powerful model for this purpose. The right hair dryer to straighten curly hair is one that has high wattage and comes with a diffuser. Use the diffuser at low setting such as the Vidal Sassoon VS624 and the Philips Diffuser line of products. The Andis Ceramic Ionic Hair Dryer seems to be the popular choice for those looking for the best blow dryer to straighten African American hair.
What is the Best Blow Dryer for Your Money?
There are many bestselling blow dryer reviews online right now. Some claim that one particular dryer is excellent, while others say it’s not. The truth is, there’s no single blow dryer that’s perfect for everyone – again, it depends on your hair type and what your particular needs are.
For those who want more bang for their back, it’s crucial to look into the features that a particular unit has in relation to its price. A blow dryer is not just about being able to dry your hair after taking a shower. It’s about getting rid of frizz and looking like you just stepped out of a salon without spending a fortune.
The best professional hair dryer on the market varies depending on who you ask. But if you are looking for value for money.. here’s a list of the best hair dryer under $100:
• BabyblissPro Carrera 2
• Conair Infiniti Pro 1875 Watts
• BabyBlissPro TT
• T3 Veloce Tourmaline Dryer
• Revlon RV544 Tourmaline Ionic Hair Dryer
For the best blow dryer under 50 dollars, here are some of the top choices:
- Revlon Laser Brilliance Ceramic Ionic Dryer
- Conair Inifiti Pro Salon Performance
- John Frieda Hair Care Experts Full Volume
- BabyBlissPro Nano Titanium Travel Dryer
- Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Color Last Dryer
- Remington T Studio Blow Dryer
Hair dryers are sort of like wine. Some expensive wine bottles aren’t really good, and some cheap ones aren’t so bad either. The key is in finding a blow dryer that suits you, whether it costs $30 or $300. Make sure to read reviews and look at the features of the model before you buy it. By doing so, you will surely be able to find the best hair dryer for you instead of just wasting your money. Good luck!
Soo good to know since I have curly hair. I’ll have to take these tips into consideration
Hair dryers are sort of like wine. Some expensive wine bottles aren’t really good, and some cheap ones aren’t so bad either.
My Revlon hair dryer drives me crazy because the nozzle keeps
Falling off. I dream of a hair dryer without a nozzle!
I see that you mean now. Which Revlon hair dryer do you have?
Have you tried pushing it (the nozzle) in a bit further so it won’t easily come off?
Do you know of hair dryer without nozzle?
Hi Carmen, I don’t understand what you mean. All hair dryers don’t have a concentrator nozzle and/or diffuser built in. You can attach them – some brands & models include a nozzle with your purchase.